Category Archives: Development Updates

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Changes and Updates to Normandy ’44

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Normandy44CoverNormandy ’44 is one of two Mark Simonitch designs (Ukraine ’43 is the other) that we are reprinting this spring. Mark’s games are known among wargamers as gamer-friendly labors of love, a result of his passion and commitment to combining historical accuracy with elegant game systems. Mark has taken the opportunity afforded by the reprint to enhance his original design to better reflect history and to tweak play-balance. For you guys who are wondering whether it’s worthwhile to purchase the new reprint edition, Mark has created a comprehensive list of changes to help you decide. We hope you find this information useful. Enjoy the games! – Gene

Here is a comprehensive list of the changes and updates we’ve made in the 2015 Reprint Edition of Normandy ’44, shipping within a month or so.

MAP

  • Flooded Hexes better defined.
  • A few roads moved off the hex spine for clarity purposes.
  • A few typos fixed.
  • A reminder added to the TRT that no SM or Truck Movement
    on Turn 1.
  • Some cosmetic changes to the terrain that have no effect on
    play.

19mm long

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Silent Victory: The Hunters goes to the Pacific

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cp-logo-badgeSilent Victory TabSilent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941–45, is the upcoming release from Consim Press, and is currently available for preorder (approaching the 1,100 preorder mark — thank you!). This game marks the continuation of The Hunters, which has been well received and is now available in its Second Printing. In this blog post, we share what changes are in store for Silent Victory, for those already familiar with The Hunters.

The designer, Gregory M. Smith, is committed to ensure fans of The Hunters feel like they are putting on a comfortable pair of slippers when playing Silent Victory, but with appropriate changes for the Pacific. The core of the game engine is identical. A sign of laziness from the designer? No, because the game system is solid and it works well as a chassis for modeling the Pacific.

Now let’s see what changes are in store for Silent Victory.

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Hitler’s Reich – The Event Decks: Broadening the Front in Hitler’s Reich

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HitlerReichTAB_P500(RBM)Hitler’s Reich is World War Two in two+ hours – and sometimes less.   One of the reasons this game plays so fast, once players become familiar with the rules, cards and their interplay on the map, is that all conflict in Hitler’s Reich is resolved through the play of cards.   Each player has a designated War Deck of Axis or Allied cards to draw from to fill their hand (see prior “InsideGMT” Hitler’s Reich War Deck article regarding these cards).

To resolve combat on the map, each player selects one card from their hand and places it face down in front of them.  Both players then simultaneously reveal their cards and each then rolls three dice, adding the total to the value shown on the War Deck card.   Some cards allow for or prevent re-rolls of one, two or three dice, or change the value of the opponent’s card, while other cards determine which side wins ties.  There are also cards and map positioning which can add dice to the roll… to a maximum of five dice.  (No “buckets of dice” here to those familiar with my GMT “Nappy” design games: The Napoleonic Wars, Wellington, and Kutuzov.)

Mark's Hand-drawn playtest version of the Hitler's Reich map

Mark’s Hand-drawn playtest version of the Hitler’s Reich map

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The 7 Years War: Frederick’s Gamble – Playtest Report

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 I’m privileged to be Game Developer for The 7 years War: Frederick’s Gamble (henceforth referred to 7YW:FG).

This is a wonderful game based on the innovative and still ever popular card driven game engine from Designer Mark McLaughlin: The Napoleonic Wars.  If you’re familiar with TNW or its successor games, Wellington and/or Kutuzov; you’d have little difficulty getting into enjoying this debut Game Design effort by Greg Ticer.

The game’s title stems from Frederick the Great, King of Prussia’s 1756 land grab of the independent central European State of Saxony, right on his arch-rival Imperial Austria’s doorstep.  Frederick “gambled” he could get away with this annexation without triggering a general European War.  He failed, and when Austria was joined by its Ally France (Imperial Camp) and the Prussia had Ally Britain (Coalition Camp) with its mainland interests in Hanover/Hesse join the fray, that European War expanded into one of history’s first Global Conflicts.

To reflect the global nature of this conflagration, 7YW:FG has “mini-maps” off to the side of the main European theatre: one for North America and two areas of the Indian sub-continent.  These maps use a point-to-point map of “Duchies” similar to TNW.  An abstract “Naval Control Track” accommodates the war on the waters so players can concentrate on the exciting action ashore.

There are aspects of the game cards and rules which make this very much an Eighteenth Century rather than TNW Nineteenth Century gaming experience.  Future pieces within “InsideGMT” will provide more background and descriptions of what 7YW:FG has to offer. 

For now, with this article’s play test map before you along with your war gaming imagination, we hope you’ll enjoy this After Action Report of a 7 Years War: Frederick’s Gamble contest by the Metro Seattle Gamer guys play-test team, with yours truly supervising… somewhat akin to a line judge during a championship tennis match.  What makes this AAR unusual is the game starting as a two player contest, then, as more gents arrived at the club, growing to a 3 and then full 4 player version of the game.

Enjoy and feel free to pose questions interim to the next “InsideGMT” piece concerning this yet-to-be P-500 listed game. – Fred Schachter, Developer

7YWFG Map

Early Playtest Map for 7YW:FG     Note: For this and all images below, please click the image for better detail